A FATHER-OF-TWO bought enough of the deadly ricin chemical to kill 1,400 people, the Old Bailey heard today.

Computer-obsessed Mohammed Ammer Ali, 31, asked for the fatal poison to be delivered to his Liverpool home in a battery-powered toy car.

Ali is accused of paying an undercover FBI agent $500 (£325) for 500mg of ricin on the 'Dark Web' and planned to test it on "pocket-sized" animals adopted from a rescue centre.

Luckily he walked into a trap laid by the United States FBI and bought a decoy version of "the poisoner's perfect poison", the court heard.

The software programmer began searching for the deadly toxin in January this year under the name 'Weirdos00' before he was traced by an FBI agent, the court heard.

Ali, from Prescott Road, Liverpool, was said to have searched the internet looking for local pet shops selling rabbits and chinchillas on which he could test the deadly poison.

He was arrested in an anti-terror raid at his family home in February.

Today jurors at the Old Bailey heard police found "no evidence" to suggest Ali had any association with terrorist activities or organisations.

But he was charged with attempting to possess a chemical weapon between January 10, and February 12 this year - which he denies.

Opening the case Sally Howes QC, prosecuting, said: "This was not a genuine transaction, but he thought he was going to be possessing ricin."

The court heard how on January 11 this year an FBI agent with the codename 'Peter' received an encrypted message via the Dark Web browser TOR on a site called Evolution Marketplace - the so-called underground equivalent of shopping website Amazon.

A Dark Web user called 'Weirdos0000' - the name attributed to the defendant - messaged the agent saying, "Hi, would you be able to make me some Ricin and send it to the UK?"

The pair continued their exchange between January 13 and February 6 and discussed the cost, shelf life and lethal dose of ricin.

Ali believed he was buying 500mg of the poison, which is made from castor beans, in five separate vials to be delivered to his home address under the name of 'Dylan Harvey', the court heard.

Ms Howes said: "If inhaled or injected, 100mg of ricin, one vial in this case, is sufficient to kill between 140-280 people.

"The 500mg could have killed 700-1400 people by either of these methods."

The court heard how the symptoms of ricin poisoning were "totally non-specific" and the toxins disappear from the body quickly, which makes the poison difficult to detect after death.

Ms Howe added: "You may think it is the poisoner's perfect poison."

The agent and his 'customer' arranged for the vials to be delivered in a toy car with "special batteries", the court heard.

A package containing the toy car and bogus poison was delivered to Ali's address.

But the FBI agent tipped off the North West Counter Terrorism Unit and officers swooped at 8am the same morning.

The prosecutor said: "The package was located in an office or computer room at the address.

"It had been opened and the toy car removed and handled."

If inhaled or injected, 100mg of ricin, one vial in this case, is sufficient to kill between 140-280 people

Sally Howes QC

Detectives found a computer seized at the address had been used to search for "Abrin", another poison and "Abrin vs ricin".

Then in November Ali is alleged to have searched for "home made cyanide and ricin", "how to purchase castor beans" and "making ricin".

Ms Howe said: "It would seem that prior to contacting the would-be ricin dealer this defendant had been taking an interest, at the very least, in sorts of poisons."

Detectives also found a note pad file on the computer, with messages reading "paid ricin guy" and "get pet to murder", the court heard.

Then on February 10, after the delivery of the toy car, Ali allegedly made a number of Google searches relating to pets.

A phone also found at the address revealed searches for "what poison kills you quick, is foolproof, easily found/made, easily concealed and hard to detect at post mortem" on Yahoo Answers, the court heard.

After his arrest Ali refused to answer any questions and is expected to claim he bought the ricin as an "experiment" to understand the "workings of the Dark Web."

Ms Howe told jurors Ali, who was born in Bolton, had "always had an interest in computers"

She added: "The police have found no evidence to suggest that this defendant has any association with terrorist activities."